PIA Mystery Solved - Kind Of

A news item in the Pakistani press may shed some light on the PIA mystery. It appears that the Pakistani government has now offered to buy a number of Airbuses from Europe to replace part of its aging fleet. This would allay any security concerns that the EU has. How funny. I guess all we needed was to reassure them that they're boss, and that we're willing to plow millions of dollars from the impoverished treasury of Pakistan into the already-swollen coffers of the EU countries. Pakistan's treasury is already under deep pressure as another report noted that Pakistan's public and external debt have ballooned over 50% since 1999.

So it seems that PIA can fly to Europe unfettered. But this naked display of greed on the part of the EU creates more problems in turn. Because if PIA buys Airbuses, it might appear like a snub to Boeing and our US masters. So what's the beleaguered national airline to do? Well, there are apparently moves to reassure the Americans - behind the scenes, of course - that PIA will retain some of its Boeing planes and might buy a couple of new ones to make it all look just peachy.

Oh wait - you say that PIA is Pakistan's airline, right? It should be serving the people of Pakistan first and foremost? My, how old-fashioned of you.